HerculesCalifornia.com HOTELS • REAL ESTATE • JOBS

Hercules Calendar of Events

Sun
27 May Tahoe Learn to Ski/Snowboard Package Deals Learn to ski or snowboard for just $29. The beginner package includes a group lesson, rental equipment and a beginner's lift …

---

Sat
10 Nov Tahoe Learn to Ski/Snowboard Package Deals Learn to ski or snowboard for just $29. The beginner package includes a group lesson, rental equipment and a beginner's lift …

---

Sun
11 Nov Tahoe Learn to Ski/Snowboard Package Deals Learn to ski or snowboard for just $29. The beginner package includes a group lesson, rental equipment and a beginner's lift …

---

See More Hercules Events

Hercules Area News

After school program that helps at-risk students graduates 125 seniors

Getting into college isn't easy and for many students who grew up in the face of adversity, it's even harder.

The Bay Area is home to some low income students who defied the odds and are now heading to college.

Friday night, 125 high school seniors came to Redwood City for their graduation.

They are members of College Track's class of 2012. College Track is a national afterschool program in major cities such as Oakland, San Francisco and East Palo Alto.

College Track strives to keep high school students "on track" in the face of adversity.

One 18-year-old Oakland student became emotional when talking to KTVU about her parents' struggle.  They immigrated from China. Her mother works as a housekeeper and her father is a cook.  And now Jiamin Zhou is headed to Harvard.

"That's the dream that my parents came here to offer me an educational opportunity," said Zhou, Oakland Tech graduate.

College Track says 90 percent of its students are accepted into a four year college or university.

Darien Sensabough says staying alive while growing up in a crime-ridden East Oakland neighborhood has been difficult.

"I have to watch my back as I leave my front door walking to school," said Sensabough.  He credits his single mother for helping keep him safe

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a former NBA star, was the key note speaker.  He told  students that he too defied the odds.

"I am you. You can become anything you want. You're going to have to work your butt off," Johnson said.

These students say they're reaching high.

"I want to be a medical researcher. Maybe one day I'll find the cure for cancer," said Zhou.

But one student said it best: "I don't know the words: Can not do."

_{Sat, 19 May 2012 00:39:37 -0700}

A's move to South Bay still unknown for now

The Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants faced each other for the first time this season Friday, but a stalemate over territorial rights to San Jose has some wondering if the chances of keeping the A's in Oakland are improving.

This week, Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said there's no timetable for a decision about whether the A's should be allowed to move to San Jose.

Some said they think that opens the door for the city of Oakland to convince the team they can still get a new ballpark in Oakland.

Joe Alexander, an Oakland resident who came to Friday's game, said he supports the team's desire to move to San Jose.

He said if they leave, they have a better chance financially to be competitive, because they can't do that in Oakland.

When Selig reported no progress in settling a three-year dispute over the Giants' territorial rights to San Jose, some think it put the city of Oakland back in the game.

Clorox CEO Don Knauss, of Oakland, has been an outspoken supporter of building a new stadium for the A's in Oakland.

"It seems to me that no decision is good for Oakland," Knauss said.

He said the inaction by Major League Baseball is good news for the city.

"I interpreted that, as did some of my business colleagues in Oakland and the East Bay, as a pretty positive sign that the commissioner and the other owners still have an open mind," Knauss said. "I guess we'll see if Lew Wolff and John Fisher still have an open mind."

A's ownership insists it's still focused on moving to San Jose, while some players seem determined to stay on the sideline of this debate.

"You try not to worry about that," said A's catcher Kurt Suzuki. "Obviously, people talk about the organization you play for. You definitely keep your ears open a little bit. But, it's an ongoing thing, you can't really control it, so you've just got to go out and play."

In a statement emailed to KTVU, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said the East Bay loves the Oakland A's. "We hope the ownership of the A's will join us at the table to discuss all of the options," she said.

Quan is counting on a Coliseum City project to keep the A's, Raiders and the Warriors in Oakland on the current site.

_{Fri, 18 May 2012 22:03:42 -0700}

Unemployment declines in Bay Area, state, nation

Bay Area jobless numbers dropped in April after a small uptick in March, part of a statewide and national trend, according to state employment officials.

The state's unemployment rate in April was 10.9 percent according to the California Employment Development Department, down slightly from March's 11 percent rate. That number was down from 11.8 percent in April 2011.

In the Bay Area, San Francisco's unemployment rate was 7.4 percent in April, sharply down from March's rate of 8.1 percent.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee hailed the news as a sign that job creation efforts are meeting with success.

"As today's unemployment report demonstrates, we are making significant progress putting people back to work in neighborhood small businesses, tech and innovation companies and active construction sites," Lee said in a statement.

Marin County, which has the lowest jobless rate in the state, dropped to 6.4 percent from March's 6.6 percent.

Solano County, which has the highest unemployment rate in the Bay Area, also saw a decline, from 10.9 percent in March to 10.2 percent in April.

The national unemployment rate also declined in April to 8.1 percent from 8.2 percent in March.

The state's unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 households around California.

_{Fri, 18 May 2012 21:57:09 -0700}

News Source: MedleyStory More Local News Stories